as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the loan shark sent a couple of gorillas to "convince" him to pay up
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Recent Examples of gorillas
The hope is that Little Joe will fit in with the Pittsburgh Zoo's two females, 29-year-old Moka and 35-year-old Ibo, and the younger gorillas, 3-year-old Charlotte and 2-year-old Bo.
—
Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 14 May 2026
The personable presenter not only got on with people but managed to befriend a family of gorillas in the forests of Rwanda’s Virunga Mountains.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
But Attenborough has had to accept the accolades this week as scientists, politicians and conservationists celebrated the man who has brought frolicking gorillas, breaching whales and tiny poisonous frogs into living rooms around the world for more than 70 years.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
The Life on Earth section came with a message from Felix Ndagijimana at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Karisoke research center in Rwanda, who updated on how the famous gorillas are doing since Attenborough visited 50 years ago.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 May 2026
While Attenborough has had no shortage of unforgettable moments over the years, a standout experience for both him and his viewers involved a group of wild gorillas who sat on his lap.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026
Building these rudimentary and temporary platforms—something modern gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees still do—would have offered protection from predators and blood-sucking insects.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
This makes the country the only place in East Africa in which to see gorillas (in Volcanoes NP), chimpanzees (in Nyungwe NP), and lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and white and black rhino, alongside plains game and over 550 species of birds (in Akagera NP).
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
New Gorillas, New Dynamics Little Joe may be leaving, but Franklin Park Zoo isn’t saying goodbye to gorillas.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 14 May 2026
The personable presenter not only got on with people but managed to befriend a family of gorillas in the forests of Rwanda’s Virunga Mountains.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
But Attenborough has had to accept the accolades this week as scientists, politicians and conservationists celebrated the man who has brought frolicking gorillas, breaching whales and tiny poisonous frogs into living rooms around the world for more than 70 years.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
The Life on Earth section came with a message from Felix Ndagijimana at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Karisoke research center in Rwanda, who updated on how the famous gorillas are doing since Attenborough visited 50 years ago.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 May 2026
While Attenborough has had no shortage of unforgettable moments over the years, a standout experience for both him and his viewers involved a group of wild gorillas who sat on his lap.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026
Building these rudimentary and temporary platforms—something modern gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees still do—would have offered protection from predators and blood-sucking insects.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
This makes the country the only place in East Africa in which to see gorillas (in Volcanoes NP), chimpanzees (in Nyungwe NP), and lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and white and black rhino, alongside plains game and over 550 species of birds (in Akagera NP).
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
New Gorillas, New Dynamics Little Joe may be leaving, but Franklin Park Zoo isn’t saying goodbye to gorillas.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gorillas
Noun
-
The masked thugs deposit a tearful middle-aged woman in front of Bass, Newsom, and Harris.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
-
White thugs destroyed it in the 1921 Race Massacre.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
When unhoused people are treated as criminals, they are pushed into an identity of exclusion rather than belonging.—
Shianne LeClaire,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
That’s the job of law enforcement, who make arrests, judges who sentence criminals to pay for their crimes, and a parole board that cares about public safety.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Similarly, Sage’s (Susan Heyward) reverse heel turn and Ashley’s (Colby Minifie) life-saving assistance in the West Wing are apparently good enough deeds to spare these savory villains a more commensurate sentence.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
-
Staying true to what Rosen said about the show’s absence of clear villains, Flynn agreed that his cam boy may not be a typical bad guy.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
In Gray’s taut thriller, set in 1980s Brighton Beach; the Gowanus area of Brooklyn; and Great Neck, Long Island, two brothers (Driver and Teller) fall afoul of Russian gangsters in a rapidly transforming city where high-stakes opportunities for riches also come with a high risk of life and limb.—
Jada Yuan,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
-
The only ones making money on alcohol now were gangsters.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Deportees from the United States are especially vulnerable to robbery and kidnapping because gangs and bandits assume that their families can pay larger ransoms.—
Caitlin Dickerson,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
-
Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Using the latest version of Epic’s Unreal Engine, each Smugglers Run locale is heavily detailed, putting us in more of a dogfight as the Mandalorian chases down pirates and ex-Imperial officers.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
21 May 2026
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Over the past quarter-century, the UKMTO has dealt with other shipping crises too, as when Somali pirates were most active during the late 2000s or Houthi rebels in Yemen intensified their attacks on vessels passing through the Red Sea in 2023.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
The film follows a unit of young assassins who belong to the titular organization, trained in a tropical rainforest by a figure known only as Master.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
12 May 2026
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Riquelme Vega, a Chilean Dutch cocaine importer also in the Super Cartel, wanted to murder a rival in Dubai by sending a team of Colombian assassins to the Emirates, Kinahan voiced his disapproval.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Those players were found guilty of tax evasion but avoided prison time thanks to a provision that allows a judge to waive sentences under two years in length for first-time offenders.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
-
Now, a new dashboard shows the worst offenders.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gorillas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gorillas. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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